Monday, August 29, 2011

Courageous




Hubalicious and I had an awesome date night with some friends this weekend.


We went to the premier of Courageous.


Talk about a call to action.


Tissues are a good idea.


You must see this movie! 

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Anonymous


We got an unbelievable email this week. 


The folks at Promise 686 emailed us to let us know about a donation that had come in for our account. 


A $5000.00 donation. 


Yes, that's 5 THOUSAND dollars!!!


Immediately, I emailed back to ask who gave it. I wanted to know who to thank. 



It was an anonymous donation. 



We hope to show our thanks by being obedient. By continuing down this road even when it gets difficult. To obey and follow God even when it doesn't make sense. To be patient and rest in God's timing. 



And above all to thank God for being the author of this awesome story. 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

As of late.....

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As of late...... I have decided to join a women's bible study. I am really excited because it has been about 3 years since I have been involved in one. There's nothing quite like unpacking God's word with other ladies. And the fact that it's while the older kids are in school and there's child care for the youngest, well that's just icing on the cake. 

As of late......I have really been praying about how I can help the folks in my life "get" what we're doing. When God lights a fire in your soul, you will burst if you don't share it. 

As of late...... I am getting very nervous about leaving my children when we go to Africa. I know God's in control. I know they will be fine. I know that they understand why we're going. Even so, I have never  left them for more than a couple of days and I am having to work through all of that. 

As of late......I have made a commitment to learn how to use our SLR camera. We have had it since Dec and I don't know anything about it. I want to take some beautiful pictures of the twins homeland, so I am diving in. 

As of late...... I am seeing what a spiritual battle adoption is. With every bit of progress, Satan is upping the heat. This is not for wimps. 



So, what about you? What's happening in your heart?

Feel free to link up to As of Late, over at Critty Joy's As of Late 





Flitterbugs fundraiser extended!!!



If you haven't already, please check out this blogger friend of mine who is serving us through a fundraiser. 

She's such a blessing to us. Their story, is part of ours. I found her blog late one night and saw that they had adopted twins through our domestic agency last year. It was her story that prompted us to pray about opening up our hearts to a boy AND A GIRL. I made my hubby watch their video and we contacted our agency the next day to tell them that we would love boy/girl twins. Later that week, we saw pictures from across the world of boy/girl twins who needed a family. 


She began sewing to fund her adoption and has continued to sew to help families raise money for missions and adoptions. 

She has decided that it's time to hang up the needle for a while, so you should get these great outfits while you still can. 

Through the weekend, she will be donating 80% of her profits to our adoption. 








Wednesday, August 17, 2011






I am linking up over at Storing up Treasures. She is doing a series called Fo Realz.


Blogging for real life.


I am loud. I am passionate. My family knows where I stand. So do my neighbors. Lol but seriously I am not a quiet, humble little wife and momma. I am more like a loud bull in a china shop. I am fiery and fierce. Mostly in a good way. Not always. But I am working on it.

Edited to add some examples:

My voice travels, a lot. So when we need the girls, I always call them. My hubby will call me from what I am doing just to call them for him.

I am passionate about everything. It's not uncommon to see me crying or semi-yelling about something I care about. Sometimes my kids think I am upset with them when I truly am not. I am really trying to work on that.

I embarrass my husband at restauants. I am just loud. So I will be talking about something and my voice will start carrying. As I get more involved, my voice gets louder. And I used to get upset when he would shush me because I felt like he wasn't listening. But really he didn't want everyone in the place to be listening.

In my defense, my family is loud too. When you get us all together, you need earplugs. Lol


They have changed me





8 months ago I saw their faces for the first time. 



I thought they were the most beautiful brown faces I had ever seen. 



I imagined how it would be for them to be a part of our family. 



I couldn't wait for them to have a better life, one where they have a mommy and a daddy and sisters. 



I imagined how much their lives would change. 



What I didn't realize was, without even having met them yet, how much they would change mine.  

Monday, August 15, 2011

Want a new camera?




Check out an awesome giveaway for an awesome cause. 



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Friday, August 12, 2011

Beautiful, custom dresses for a cause







From now through Wed, my friend Julie is donating 80% of her profits to our adoption. So please hop over to her blog and check out all of her beautiful creations. 


Flitterbugs for the Browns


Here is a sample of the cute outfits she makes. 



Thursday, August 11, 2011

The good, the hard, and the need



Let's get the "hard" out of the way. 


The last few months have been weighty. We are weary at times. I know that's not what I am "supposed" to say, but it's the truth. We both have had days where we are anxious and question if we should be pressing on.  


And then time and again, AWESOME things happen. "God things" that show us we are right where we were meant to be. 


So here's the deal..........


We found out about 18 month old boy/girl twins at the end of Jan who live in a baby home in Africa. 
We were told that they were "waiting" children and that all the paperwork would be done in a matter of weeks and then we could travel to bring them home. 
In reality, their case was more complicated and it took over 7 months to investigate their lives to be sure that international adoption would be the best thing for them. 
In June, we found out that they are probably 6 months younger than what we originally thought. We think they are about 18 months old now. 


The Good
  • We have been praying for someone to stay with our kids when we are gone. We have had folks offer to take a kid here or there, but what we really wanted was for someone to come in and live in our house and keep all four together. PRAYER ANSWERED!!!
  • We have been fundraising through yard sales, donations and selling t-shirts, coffee and necklaces. And we have raised $6,424!!!!
  • About three weeks ago, we got "the call" that the paperwork is done, we are officially matched with them and we can now petition the court for a court date where we will ask to be their legal guardians. We will then finalize the adoption here in the US when we get home. 

The Need

Stand with us in prayer. 
I know this goes without saying, but we would ask that you prayer specifically for some things. 
  • For the twins' health and safety. 
  • That the paperwork to be done quickly so that we can get a court date soon. We hope to go by the end of the year. 
  • For the process to move quickly once we are in the country. We are told to expect to be there 4-6 weeks. One of us will be staying for the duration and one of us will likely come home in between and then travel back to help with the plane ride home.
  • For the twins to attach to us quickly and easily
  • For the girls to have peace while we are away and in the transition when we bring the twins home 
  • For the rest of the funds that we need to make this happen. This is a difficult thing to discuss. It's very humbling to ask for help. But the truth is that we can't do this alone. 


How to help financially

We need to raise about 13k more to get the twins home. This includes our agency cost, our travel, transportation and housing while in country, visa fees, etc. 

There are several ways to help. 


Promise 686   has offered us a matching grant up to 6k and your donation is tax-deductible.


You can mail a check to :
Promise 686, Inc.
3600 River Ferry Dr.
Alpharetta GA 30022

Please be sure to put "Brown" in the memo line


You can also donate online on the side bar of our blog. 


We also have lots of items for sale in our adoption store. 




Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Only 5 left!!



We have 5 Ugandan necklaces left




Monday, August 8, 2011

Is facebook evil?







I have been thinking a lot about this lately, so when I saw this, I decided to link up. 


We have had a great sermon series going on at church lately called "The Shocking Statements of Jesus." 


I have loved it and been quite convicted by some things it has brought to light. 


One of the things the pastor mentioned when we got to Matt 18:8, "If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire," was Face Book. 


I love Face book. It helps me stay connected with family and friends. It gives me opportunities to pray for people who post their needs. It has connected me with folks from across the country and the world who I would not have otherwise known. It offers me a way of encouragement by having friends who I know will pray for me. 

But the sermon helped me to look at it when new eyes. 

Facebook can really bring out the worst in people. 

Did you know that one study says that 1 in 5 divorce settlements blame face book for marital problems? 

Is this because fb is evil? No, that would be us. 

Should we avoid it at all costs? Maybe, but I don't think that's what Jesus was saying. 


But I do think it can lead to destruction, just as anything can, if you aren't careful. 


So here are some steps that I take to try to safeguard against that. 

1. Being careful with whom I am associated with:  
Just as with "real life" friendships, you will be influenced by those you befriend. Lots of times, that's a great thing. But I will hide or defriend those who are causing me to stumble. For me, it's not wise to see daily updates from my high school sweetheart who is a successful business man who travels all over the world. It's also not wise for me to see statuses of those who are always putting their husbands down or complaining about their kids. Of course, there is grace for those who are struggling. That goes without saying. Discernment is huge here. 

2. Be aware of what I post
On the same subject as above, I don't want to become the thorn in someone's side. My friends do not need to know every time I have a hangnail or one of my kids is ugly to me. I feel good about asking my friends to pray for me when I am struggling, but I don't want to be the clanging cymbal. 

3. Keeping the green-eyed monster at bay
This one is so easy to fall into. 

At any given time, lots of my friends seem like they have it GOING ON. 

Their husbands are great. Their kids look perfect in those vacation pictures. No fires to put out over there!

It is easy to think about how great life is for them. 

But they have real lives too. Struggles that we don't see. Hurt, despair, sickness, sadness. 
Just. Like. Us. 

When that ugly monster tries to rear it's head, we must remember... 
1 Cor 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

Take the opportunity right then and there to thank the Lord for the blessings in their lives. And ours!

4. Accountability
This one is more recent for me. My hubby doesn't have a face book, so for a long time he knew nothing of my friends or my posts. I would tell him something funny here or there. But in the last 6 months (really since the adoption started moving) he has been logging on to see the goings on. Not in distrust, but really because he wanted to feel more connected with other adoptive families that I have met. The great thing about this, is that it offers me an added layer of accountability. And I didn't really think about needing that. But through the sermon series, I realized that God has used my hubby to protect me from danger. He has become a sounding board of sorts for me. Some times what someone posts can feel hurtful to me and cause me to get angry, but then he gives me a different perspective and helps me to see their heart. Or at times, he has told me that something I have written sounds different than what I intended. 

5. Limiting 
This one is a biggie for me too. This girl likes to veg out on blogs or face book. Especially since we decided to adopt. I never get tired of reading about adoption or helping orphans. But there has to be a balance. I have four kiddos, a husband, a house to run, etc and I don't need to be stuck online. So again, I have asked the hubster to hold me accountable and I limit myself. My three oldest are in school, so I have made a commitment to them not to be on the computer when they get home. Or my phone, because that's even easier to hop on "real quick." I try to be as disconnected from electronics as possible in the evening when we are all hanging out. 




Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Bye Bye Summer






Yes, we're a little sad. 

We only get 8 short weeks. 

But we packed it in!


Library storytime
Pool parties
Karate tournament
Cow day at Chick-fil-A
Summer Reading
Tubing at the lake with friends
Family movie night
Playdates
Sleepovers
Bowling
Planting flowers
Sprayground
Quick Trip drinks
Rascal Flatts date night
REFERRAL!!!!!

And of course, some classic Brigade moments....

Driving two hours to not be able to find the store we were looking for, but being given an opportunity to pray for tornado victims when we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the destruction.

Having a "clean out the garage day" and welcoming a 40ft trailer down the driveway as we passed it all forward. 


Yes, we had a great, relaxing, fun summer.

And now it's back to school snacks courtesy of the best neighbors anyone could ever dream of......

Complete with a scrapbook page to make while we wait for the babies, and a box of Psalms to get us through. 


Hope y'all had a great summer!!!